Edgar
Allan Poe (1809-1849) was a great American short story writer and
poet. Most people know him for his tales of mystery and the macabre
but he was so much more than that. He was a master of innovation and
most of his short stories became the prototypes for several genres or
important classical works.
He
was born Edgar Poe in Boston. His father abandoned his family a year
later and his mother died when he was two. John Allan acted as a
foster parent but he disowned him when Poe incurred large gambling
debts after he registered at the University of Virginia to study
languages. He enlisted in the American artillery to support himself
and later as a cadet at West Point but resigned to follow a career in
writing. He worked as a magazine editor, literary critic and
publisher and was one of the first Americans who tried to make a
living out of writing alone resulting in a financially difficult
career. He secretly married his 13 year old cousin Virginia and
because she suffered for many years from tuberculosis, Poe turned to
drink. His poem The
Raven
became a popular sensation and made Poe a household name overnight.
After Virginia's death his behaviour became erratic until his death
in the streets of Baltimore under mysterious circumstances.
